{"id":109,"date":"2013-04-19T22:53:59","date_gmt":"2013-04-20T02:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/?p=109"},"modified":"2013-09-05T00:04:17","modified_gmt":"2013-09-05T04:04:17","slug":"catfish-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/2013\/04\/19\/catfish-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Catfish Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"catfishheading\"<\/a><\/p>\n

by Amy Coleman, Staff Writer<\/p>\n

For those that are not up to speed on the Facebook lingo, a \u201cCatfish,\u201d as first coined in the eponymous Independent Film, \u201cis someone who pretends to be someone they’re not[,] using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.\u201d<\/a> The term was used to put similarity between an online impersonator and a catfish\u2019s behavior. Shippers use catfish to keep other fish active.\u00a0 In the same way, online impersonators keep you guessing. \u201cCatfishing\u201d is the act of impersonating someone online.<\/p>\n

But, even if you do not know the proper terminology, I am quite certain you have heard about the Manti Te\u2019o scam<\/a>. If you haven\u2019t it\u2019s time to come out from underneath that rock.\u00a0 Aside from any possible opinions on whether Manti Te\u2019o knew he was in a relationship with a man or whether he made up the scam for publicity, one thing is clear: no one had Diane O\u2019Meara\u2019s permission to create a Twitter profile with her name and photographs.<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>If you think a Heisman-hopeful Football player who got tricked into a relationship with a man is all this story entails, think about this:\u00a0 What if someone used your<\/i> information?\u00a0 Even worse, what if someone set up an account in your name and spoke to your family? Your friends? Your co-workers? Your boss?\u00a0 The possibilities are limitless with this kind of impersonation.\u00a0 And, lawmakers are certainly catching on real fast.<\/p>\n

\"Military<\/a>
Military scammers impersonate Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta
Photo courtesy of milblogging.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In his Time Magazine article, Victor Luckerson addresses just that: \u201cCan You Go to Jail for Impersonating Someone Online?\u201d<\/a> Prospective legislation is not just aimed at the online relationships or impersonations, but also include measures against anti-bullying messages. This could prove very damaging for would-be impersonators.\u00a0 Impersonations without malice could be prosecuted in the same way as those who attempt to harass or de-fraud.<\/p>\n

Further, even if there is not a criminal statute in place that covers online impersonation, there are still private causes of action that may apply.\u00a0 For example<\/a>, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Fraud, Misrepresentation, and Negligence. But, all states that have created an applicable criminal offense have a private cause of action.<\/a><\/p>\n

My Advice: Watch Out Catfish, it\u2019s Fishing Season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rundown of State Legislation on the Topic<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

State<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Crime<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nPunishment<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arizona<\/b><\/td>\nHouse Bill 2004-*NOT YET PASSED*[2]<\/a><\/td>\nClass 5 Felony- Imprisonment up to 1.5 years[3]<\/a>Class 1 Misdemeanor- Up to 6 months Imprisonment[4]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
California<\/b><\/td>\n\u201cE-personation\u201d\/Criminal Impersonation[5]<\/a>[6]<\/a><\/td>\nMisdemeanor- Imprisonment for up to 1 year, up to $1000 fine[7]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hawaii<\/b><\/td>\nHarassment by Online Impersonation[8]<\/a><\/td>\nMisdemeanor-Imprisonment up to 1 year[9]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Louisiana<\/b><\/td>\nOnline Impersonation[10]<\/a><\/td>\nMisdemeanor- 10 days- 6 months Imprisonment,[11]<\/a> up to $1000 fine[12]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mississippi<\/b><\/td>\nOnline Impersonation[13]<\/a><\/td>\nMisdemeanor- 10 days-1 year Imprisonment, $250-$1000 Fine[14]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New York<\/b><\/td>\nCriminal Impersonation in the 2d Degree[15]<\/a><\/td>\nClass A Misdemeanor- Imprisonment for up to 1 year[16]<\/a>, up to $1000 fine[17]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pennsylvania<\/b><\/td>\nCriminal Online Impersonation*Referred to House Judiciary Committee*[18]<\/a><\/td>\nThird Degree Misdemeanor- up to 90 [19]<\/a>days Imprisonment, $250-$5000 Fine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texas<\/b><\/td>\nOnline Impersonation[20]<\/a><\/td>\nFelony in the third degree-\u00a0 2-10 years Imprisonment, up to $10,000 fine[21]<\/a>Class A Misdemeanor-Imprisonment for up to 1 year, up to $4000 fine[22]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Washington<\/b><\/td>\nElectronic Impersonation[23]<\/a><\/td>\nCivil Cause of Action[24]<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n

[1] http:\/\/www.rajeshrana.net\/2011\/06\/29\/facebook-fake-profile-impersonation-helpline\/<\/a>
\n[2]<\/a> http:\/\/milblogging.com\/index.php?entry=entry110102-132958<\/a><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> http:\/\/kellywarnerlaw.com\/arizonas-online-impersonation-law\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> http:\/\/kellywarnerlaw.com\/arizonas-online-impersonation-law\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> http:\/\/kellywarnerlaw.com\/arizonas-online-impersonation-law\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> http:\/\/voices.yahoo.com\/california-cyber-bully-bill-takes-effect-january-1-7510782.html?cat=17<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> http:\/\/www.leginfo.ca.gov\/pub\/09-10\/bill\/sen\/sb_1401-1450\/sb_1411_bill_20100927_chaptered.html<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> http:\/\/voices.yahoo.com\/california-cyber-bully-bill-takes-effect-january-1-7510782.html<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> http:\/\/www.capitol.hawaii.gov\/session2011\/bills\/HB618_HD1_.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> http:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/hawaii\/2009\/volume-14\/title-37\/chapter-706\/hrs-0706-0663-htm\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> http:\/\/www.haedickelaw.com\/2012\/08\/21\/impact-of-the-2012-louisiana-legislative-session-on-criminal-law-part-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> http:\/\/www.haedickelaw.com\/2012\/08\/21\/impact-of-the-2012-louisiana-legislative-session-on-criminal-law-part-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> http:\/\/svensonlaw.com\/2012\/08\/04\/interviewed-by-wvue-fox8-news-regarding-social-media-legislation\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> http:\/\/www.pahouse.com\/pr\/191082412(1).asp<\/a><\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> http:\/\/www.pahouse.com\/pr\/191082412(1).asp<\/a><\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> http:\/\/ypdcrime.com\/penal.law\/article190.htm#p190.25<\/a><\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> http:\/\/codes.lp.findlaw.com\/nycode\/PEN\/TWO\/E\/70\/70.15<\/a><\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> http:\/\/ypdcrime.com\/penal.law\/article80.htm#p80.05<\/a><\/p>\n

[19]<\/a> http:\/\/www.pahouse.com\/pr\/191082412(1).asp<\/a><\/p>\n

[20]<\/a> http:\/\/law.onecle.com\/pennsylvania\/fish\/00.009.023.000.html<\/a><\/p>\n

[21]<\/a> http:\/\/www.stradleylaw.com\/online-impersonation-crime-texas\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[22]<\/a> http:\/\/www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us\/Docs\/PE\/htm\/PE.12.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

[23]<\/a> http:\/\/www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us\/Docs\/PE\/htm\/PE.12.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

[24]<\/a> http:\/\/apps.leg.wa.gov\/documents\/billdocs\/2011-12\/Pdf\/Bills\/Session%20Laws\/House\/1652-S2.SL.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[25]<\/a> http:\/\/apps.leg.wa.gov\/documents\/billdocs\/2011-12\/Pdf\/Bills\/Session%20Laws\/House\/1652-S2.SL.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Amy Coleman, Staff Writer For those that are not up to speed on the Facebook lingo, a \u201cCatfish,\u201d as first coined in the eponymous Independent Film, \u201cis someone who pretends to be someone they’re not[,] using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive [\u2026] <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-juris-blog","category-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions\/113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}